But once Newman knew there was no hope of staying at SHR, he said, “it was a no-brainer for me to go back and knock on his door.”

Those talks resulted in Newman and RCR striking a three-year deal last week for Newman to drive the No. 31 car currently driven by Jeff Burton.

The deal was announced Monday.

“After (New Hampshire), when I was told what I wasn't going to be doing, the conversations intensified,” Newman said. “(RCR was) at the top, without a doubt. Richard and everybody at RCR are in a position to control their own destiny. They build their own cars. They build their own engines. They hang their own bodies.

“Everything is at the RCR compound, and that means a lot to me, because that keeps that information right there. And that, I think, is extremely important with the technology in our sport right now.”

Newman, who barely missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup this year, will finish the season with SHR before replacing Burton, who is 22nd in the standings.

The team is still looking for sponsorship, although Caterpillar will be the primary sponsor for the majority of races next season, said RCR Chief Operating Officer Torrey Galida.

“Ryan is really going to add a lot to our organization and add another dimension for us,” Galida said. “He's a proven winner. He's been very, very successful throughout his career, and we are always looking to add that kind of talent to our organization.

“We talked to him for a while about potentially becoming a fourth team here. We weren't quite able to pull that all together, but did find a scenario that we believe is going to work for everybody.”

Newman has made the Chase in two of the last eight yards but was sixth or seventh in the standings from 2002-2005.

He has 17 career victories.

“I told Richard when I sat down in his bus a while ago, I said, ‘Every driver is going to sit here and tell you that he wants to win. He wants to win races. He wants to win a championship. He wants to win a pole. But it's the drive and dedication and the inflection you hear in my voice when I say that to you,’” Newman said.

“I think that that makes a difference, because every car owner wants to win. Every car owner wants to make money and be successful, too. But I see the same things in him that he does in me, and that's why I look forward to the next three years.”